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Hi just found your group.I am restoring a 59 bugeye and would like to know the best way to tilt the hood foreward.MiniMania has a hinge kit for $160 yikes!seems like a lot for a couple pieces of metal and a bolt or two.also whats the best way to latch it? Dont like the rubber straps but I have seen it done with a spitefire latch that looked good.THANKS in advance....Chuck "chuck31764" 29419... MORE
Wes, there should be a stop pin (part number AHA 7703) that one of the mechanism arms butts against; in addition, originally there was a sort of 'U' shaped strip of steel (part number AHA 7431) that fit in the bottom of the door. I think it had felt or foam stuck to it, so it could absorb moisture to encourage rusting better! Regards David "David Jacobs" 29404... MORE
When l get to refitting out the inside of my new doors,what in your view is best to use as the stop that stops the window from being wound down to far,l was going to glue in some rubber blocks? wes "wesley5060" 29399... MORE
David Hey, I don't make this stuff up, I just tell you what the books tell me, don't shoot the messenger! Passage from MG & Austin Healey Spridgets by Chris Harvey 'The changes that followed were more political than practical. Matt black paint reared its ugly head all over the cars in October 1969. Not only did they have the same price for the first time, but the Spridgets received identical recessed grills, black sills and sombre new windscreen frame. The standard wheels, also in matt black, looked a lot beter, however: they were cast rather than pressed. The... MORE
Rick They are available, but kinda pricey, not to mention seriously heavy. Best options are a) repair/clean/fix/renovate/recover/paint/sort out the old ones or b) look around for a good pair of second hand ones. Don't know of any fibreglass replicas. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 29393... MORE
Rick Oh man, you better do some serious calling to the powers of the Dark Side on this one, cos you're in for a real treat! If you get past the seized screws holding the frame together (this one usually sorts the boys from the girls) and manage to replace the glass you'll have mucho fun getting it back together - few tips for you - washing up liquid, long bits of rope and some stout bits of timber! Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 29391... MORE
Ahh multi part frame vs. single part on my car. Different frame, different problems, checks the archives for tales of people needing several elephants to get the frame back together. Pay the pros and if they break the screen it is their problem! Just my opinion. I do most stuff but this was just too much hassle and no fun. "Jeremy Cogman" 29392... MORE
"Cats can curl up..." May your snake quietly release itself from it's cage, slowly slither stealthily across the floor as you sleep, creep quietly up the the side of the bed to finally launch himself upon you as you sleep, blissfully unaware...:) You know when Alan is expecting his Frogeye?? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 29417... MORE
Mike Having recently replaced my MIDGET lettering I should know this but can't remember! I think it's 4.5 inches from the left hand edge of the sill (or right hand edge on the other side) to the edge of the first letter and 1.5 inches up from the bottom of the sill (bottom of the visible part of the sill, not from the indented part right at the bottom) to the bottom of the letter. I'm assuming you're going to put MIDGET letters on it if it's a 74 Midget, but hey, it's your car, put the SPRITE badge... MORE
"Ed has kindly put up a page..." And a very nice page it is, too!!! Don't have to sign into Yahoos thanx to that link you provided Rick, Nigel. Oh, yea....paint came out just fine back there...and everywhere else, too. It's gonna be gorgeous! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 29409... MORE
"House style" Right on Don May. When BL took over things sorta went to hell. Liked the original AH but BMC was OK, too, IMHO. I got one gripe with the original...no trunk lid on the BE. That's it!! Wish they had put in at least a small lid accessed from the inside with a lanyard a la MGA. Nice, smooth look with no outside "handle". :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 29398... MORE
I like mine unadorned. No cill lettering, no chrome strip and all one colour. I think it looks lower to the ground with the cills in the same body colour, and somehow, and a bit ironically, more "period" and "classic" to my mind. Guy "Guy Weller" 29363... MORE
What are the measurements from the front wheelwell and top of the sill for placement of the Austin Healey badges on a 74 Midget? When I bought the car they weren't on it, and seeing pictures of cars with them, well now I want them. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks Mike "Mike" 29362... MORE
Paul Thanks for your input. I agree 100% gloss black sills looked 'odd' hard to explain but it just didn't look right. I used semi-gloss (satin) on the sills in the end and like you - it just looked right, also like you I painted the grill in it was well. Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 29357... MORE
Nigel- Like you, I have tried very hard to maintain originality with my restoration. I went thru the same process you are with the sill color. I had my body shop spray the sills gloss, and from across the shop I can tell you it looked just plain goofy. We next went the other extreme and used a flat black, and it looked just plain awful. They finally tried a semi-gloss, and it turned out beautiful. If you want pictures, private message me and I will send them along. However, the truth is that pictures do not reveal the... MORE
Alan I think the 'originality' v 'personalisation' discussion has been done to death on here and then some! I've pretty much accepted now that owners will 'personalise' their cars to some degree or another and that 'one-size-fits-all' simply doesn't work. I seem to be very much in the minority strangely enough in wanting to put mine back to 'original specification'. I pretty much want mine as if it's just rolled out of a showroom - a new car - but that's just me. Regarding the sills, personally, I think not having that black strip looks visually 'odd'. I don't... MORE
I've seen them all shades of black including underseal. I've seen them with chrome and stainless trims. I've seen them rusty brown with holes. I've seen them with painted over rubberized paint. I've seen them with the same colour and finish as the rest of the car. Which although is not original looks far better, and classic IMHO. Mine will be the same colour as the bodywork. Not original maybe (who cares ?) but mine. Alan - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -... MORE
Is it the same manifold on a 1500TC as on a Midget? (or on a Sptifire, come to that?) All the so-called knowledgeable folks' books say the Spitfire had slightly more power than the Midget due to a less restrictive exhaust, because there was more space available under the bonnet for it. Regards David "David Jacobs" 29349... MORE
Guy I really don't know lol! My car was in such a mess paint wise when I got it - it wasn't worth polishing and the black sills looked like someone had put the black on with boot polish, now I come to think of it - I think thats what was holding them onto the car! Nigel "amukdigiphoto" 29346... MORE
Not sure about 1971, BUT Assuming the 1975 jubilee midget shown in Horlers book is correct, (given its mileage I cant see it having had paint) then the sills are gloss black by the time of the 1500 Stewart "Ford Prefect" 29341... MORE
Nigel, I am very afraid to post any pix you could see. The car is in three colors of paint plus the original Brookland green. (Seeing what looked best, ya know). I have lowered the front with 1275 springs but not the rear just yet. I'm running American Racing Mags 5.5 inches with 165 x 70 tires. I've cut off the front bumper supports and sold off the rubber bumpers. The interior is new and pretty well sorted out. McGee runs and drives well except for my often mentioned clutch problem. I will be pulling the engine this spring... MORE
Hi I am looking for a RIGHT ANGLED DRIVE for the speedo cable to fit a Toyota conversion gearbox on a Mk1 sprite, it will avoid a body work modifaction.Does anyone know where I can get one Thanks "roderick_ralph" 29338... MORE
Hello Nigel, I do not have one of these cars myself, but I looked at several in the showrooms, and several of my friends had them. They were definitely not gloss and not matt. They had a fair degree of what I would call sheen. That is, the light could be seen to reflect off them. They had a tendency to go more matt with time (which was why many people fitted the stainless steel covers) Make sure that there is a coat of non porous paint underneath though. :-) It is very difficult to describe something like this... MORE
LOL Trevor Thanks for your input. Well matt in my mind has no 'sheen' to it at all, it's just kinda matt! When I asked the paint factor to make me up a 'satin' black, I got a kind o =3D=0D f blank look! She then said, we don't do Satin black, but what I can do is pu =3D=0D t some matte into some gloss and make it Satin that way - so I said fine do t =3D=0D hat. So yes, you will get different sheens of Satin I guess, depending on how mu =3D=0D ch matte... MORE
Hi guys For a 71 facelifted Midget with black sills. I need a definitive answer to this one as I'm finishing it off today hopefully, the sills are often said to be 'matt' black, they're not. They may be 'satin' or 'gloss', but they're definitely not matt. Are the sills finished in Satin Black or Gloss Black? One side is currently in gloss black, and one side is in satin black (don't ask!) The satin black was really bought for the grill and grill surround, which I've finished already. Annoyingly Terry Horler only states that the lower 4 inches... MORE
